


Day of Reckoning

by imafrikinnerd



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Episode: s02e08 The Sins Of The Father, Gen, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25544776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imafrikinnerd/pseuds/imafrikinnerd
Summary: When Arthur confronts his father after learning the truth of his mother's death, Merlin can't bring himself to lie to Arthur about it. He convinces Arthur to give his father a trial instead of killing him. Arthur becomes king after his father's sentencing, and Arthur begins the process of righting his father's wrongs.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 294





	1. The Sins of the Father

**Author's Note:**

> So tbh before y'all even start reading this...update might happen soon or in months. sorry.

“They’re going to kill each other!” Merlin cried, fighting Leon’s hold against him. Leon’s eyes widened, and he released Merlin. They threw open the doors to see Arthur holding Uther down as he pointed a blade at his Father’s chest. Arthur’s face was full of fury and hatred, Uther’s of fear. 

“Arthur, don’t!” Merin yelled as he took in the scene. “I know you don’t want to do this.”

Merlin knew Arthur was honorable enough to want his father dead for what he had done to magic users and his mother, but he would regret killing him eventually. So Merlin had to stop Arthur from committing regicide. He could tell Arthur that Morgause was lying and that it was all a trick to make Arthur kill Uther. That last bit may even have been true, as far as Merlin knew, but he didn’t want to lie to Arthur about his birth. 

Lying about that would also mean Arthur would distrust magic more than he already did, and Merlin didn’t really want that outcome. So somehow, he had to stop Arthur from killing his father without lying to him. Great. 

“My mother is dead because of him!” Arthur yelled back through gritted teeth. 

“Killing him won’t bring her back,” Merlin tried to reason. “You’ve lost one parent, do you really want to lose another?”

“Listen to him, Arthur,” Uther pleaded. 

“Arthur, please.” Merlin continued, ignoring Uther. “Put the sword down.”

“You heard what my mother said. After everything he has done, do you believe he deserves to live? He who executes those who use magic when he has used it himself! You have caused so much suffering and pain. I will put an end to that.”

“You don’t have to kill him to do that, Arthur,” Merlin said, stepping closer to Arthur. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin noticed that Gaius had arrived and was standing next to Leon, both at a loss about what to do. 

“He deserves nothing more than death for what he has done,” Arthur replied, not looking at Merlin or even seeming to hear what he said beyond that he spoke.

“Maybe, but Arthur,” Merlin stepped even closer to Arthur, within arm’s reach (and sword’s reach, Merlin noted), “you would not forgive yourself for killing him.”

“How else do you suggest he pays for his crimes?”

“Put him in prison, take his crown, but do not take his life.”

“He does not deserve to live, even in the cells.”

“Then give him a trail, condemn him then with evidence and facts. Arthur, you don’t even know if what Morgause said is true.”

“Exactly, Arthur, Morgause is lying!” Uther broke in, “Just as I told you. I would never harm your mother. I loved her.”

Arthur lowered his sword slightly for a moment. Uther wasn’t in a place to get the upper hand even if Arthur had a moment’s distraction. He looked behind him and realized Gaius was there. 

“Gaius. Does he speak the truth? Did Morgause lie to me? Was I born of magic?”

Gaius looked between his king and his prince. Uther looked terrified at having the only other living person who knew the truth asked. He had rarely questioned Gaius’ loyalty to him, but the man was smart, and if it seemed that he would not face consequences for telling the truth, he wasn’t sure that Gaius wouldn’t put his own ideals above his loyalty.

“Sire, your father loved your mother very much,” Gaius tried, not answering. 

“You’re not answering the question, Gaius. Answer me, and don’t lie. Please. I have a right to know.”

Gaius took a breath. “Yes, Arthur, magic was used in your conception.”

Merlin looked at Arthur for his reaction but found just resigned acceptance. 

“Do you have proof of this? Would you testify to the court if I were to put him to trial?”

“I have no proof but my word, sire. I was privy to the decision as the court physician, sire, but the only other person who knew was the sorceress who performed the spell, and she is dead.”

“Did my father kill her, too?” Arthur snarled, turning back to his father and pressing the sword he held harder into his chest. 

“No, sire. She was not killed in the purge.”

Both Uther and Arthur looked confused at that, but Arthur let it drop. 

“Sir Leon,” Arthur called, not looking over his shoulder to look at the man. 

“Sire?” Leon asked carefully, stepping closer.

“Find a pair of manacles for my father.” 

Leon hesitated a moment, but bowed and ran off to do as he was told. 

“Arthur!” Uther cried, “This is madness! Surely you know as well as I do that magic is evil!”

“I’m not so sure about that anymore, Uther. But I am sure that you are a hypocrite and a liar and are not worthy of the crown you wear.” Arthur said with disgust. 

Merlin watched the exchange and took a breath of relief. Arthur killing his father would tear the kingdom apart, as he’s sure Morgause wanted, but if he simply overthrew his father, subjecting him to a fair trial before the court, there would be less chaos. It would not be easy, but Morgause would not have won. 

Merlin looked back at Gaius, who gave him a look with so many emotions Merlin wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Bewilderment, surprise, guilt, sadness, fear, so many things. Merlin certainly understood, though. 

Uther did not try to defend himself again, seeming to realize it would not work. So for the next few moments, while Leon was off finding manacles, the only sound was Arthur’s labored breathing slowly evening out as he calmed down. 

When Leon returned, he was flanked by a few guards who looked surprised at seeing their prince holding their king at swordpoint. Leon, with trepidation, walked towards the chair Arthur had Uther pressed into. 

“Sire,” Leon murmured, holding the manacles out. 

Arthur sheathed his sword and grabbed his father roughly, pulling him up to stand with his hands behind his back. 

“Uther Pendragon, you are hereby charged with the murder of hundreds of innocent people, along with my mother. You will be tried in front of the court, who will help me decide your fate.”

He took the manacles from Leon and bound his father in them. He guided the now-former king from the room in a not so gentle manner. The guards Leon had brought with him looked on and decided to follow Leon again as he followed Arthur from the room. 

With all of them gone, only Merlin and Gaius were left in the room. 

“Well, that certainly could have gone better,” Gaius said, turning towards Merlin and giving him The Eyebrow, which for once Merlin didn’t feel he deserved. 

“I stopped him from killing his father, which is more than Uther deserved. I wasn’t going to lie to Arthur about his own birth. He had a right to know that it was the truth. I’ve lied to him so much already.”

“Nevertheless, Uther will almost certainly be executed for the injustices he’s committed. It’s still essentially regicide, even if he has the court’s approval. The chance all of this goes smoothly is very low. And Arthur may not be ready to be king yet.”

“Well, he’ll have to be ready soon, because I don’t think he’ll back down from this. He’ll see this as a slight against his honor, for Uther to have made him believe the people he was killing were evil when all this time it was Uther’s inability to deal with his own mistakes that drove him to genocide.”

Gaius sighed. “I suppose now there’s nothing to be done now but hope.”

Merlin nodded. He cast one last look at Gaius before striding out of the room to go prepare Arthur’s chambers for...whatever Arthur would want upon his return. 

He set a fire going, arranged for a bath to be brought up come evening, gathered the laundry, and set to unpacking the saddlebags that had been dropped off in Arthur’s rooms after their abrupt return. He didn’t know what else to do. He mostly just dawdled around, tidying up little things he’d not gotten the chance to clean for a while. As an afterthought, he sent for a plate of snacks from the kitchen. 

Merlin really wasn’t sure what Arthur would want when he got back. Silent comfort? Outspoken support? Or neither, just Merlin blending into the background like a good servant was meant to? He’d have to read Arthur’s mood when he got back. 

Speaking of, Merlin was surprised that Arthur had not returned. The walk to the cells was long, but Merlin had been cleaning for an hour, and there was still no sign of Arthur. Just as Merlin was about to go looking for him, Arthur burst through the door, looking emotionally and physically exhausted. 

Arthur glanced at Merlin before sitting heavily in his favorite chair in front of the fire. Silently, Merlin walked over to him to remove his armor. It was difficult with Arthur’s seated position, but he only made Arthur lean forward a bit to get the buckles on his back. The armor was set aside to be repaired and polished later, the gambeson placed with the laundry to be cleaned. 

Seeing that Arthur wasn’t planning to speak to him soon, Merlin poured him a glass of watered wine. Not enough to make him even tipsy, but it was something to do. Arthur accepted the goblet pushed into his hand silently. He sipped from it as Merlin wrung his hands together, at a loss as to what to be doing. 

He couldn’t read Arthur when he was like this. It could mean any number of things. So instead of trying to help Arthur, he had to hope Arthur would come to him in his own time, and set to polishing his armor with the kit that was always kept in Arthur’s rooms. It was quiet enough work for the most part. 

Merlin wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Arthur spoke. 

“Merlin,” was all he said, softly. 

“Yes, sire?” Merlin said, just as softly, hoping Arthur might open up to him voluntarily for once. 

“I want to...thank you. For not allowing me to kill my father so rashly. I was blinded by my fury and was not thinking straight.”

“You would not have forgiven yourself if you’d done it. I had to stop you.”

“You know, Merlin, you’ve never acted like a normal servant. Any other servant would have stood back and watched, would’ve been too scared to do anything.”

“I guess I care about you too much to do that.”

At that, Arthur actually looked at Merlin, who was sitting against the wall by one of Arthur’s wardrobes to the right of the chair Arthur was sitting in. Arthur’s face was tired, and he looked older than Merlin had ever seen him. 

At length, when Arthur seemed to have studied Merlin to his satisfaction, Arthur spoke. “Then I suppose I’m lucky to have someone who cares about me so much.”

“I’m not the only one who cares about you, Arthur.”

Arthur snorted derisively. “I thought my father cared about me. He killed my mother because he wanted an heir. Who else in my life truly cares about me?”

“Gaius does, and Gwen. Morgana, some of your knights must.”

“Gaius kept an important secret about my own birth from me for years. He may care about me, but he didn’t believe I should know the circumstances of my own birth. Gwen is a serving girl infatuated with her prince, nothing more. She cares about her prince, not me.”

Merlin tried to object, but Arthur talked over him. 

“Morgana and I have fought like cats and dogs for the ten years she has lived in Camelot. She has shown compassion on occasion, but she thinks I’m Uther’s puppet who does nothing but mindlessly accept his orders. Which might just be true. As for my men, they have a duty to protect their ruler. There are few among them that I could even think so consider friends, much less ones that would die for me even if I weren’t their ruler.”

Merlin was speechless. 

“So you see, Merlin, you might just be the only person in Camelot that has not beguiled me in some way and actually gives a shit whether I live or die regardless of my title.”

Merlin slowly set down the gauntlet he’d been polishing and walked over to Arthur, only to smack him in the face with the polishing cloth. Arthur sat up, a cry of outrage on his lips until he saw Merlin’s face, which was red with rage. 

“You have no idea how many people care about you, Arthur, how many people love you. Gaius had good reason for keeping that from you, the most obvious of which was probably keeping his head on his shoulders. You’ve no idea what Uther threatened to do if he revealed that. And Gwen  _ loves  _ you. She is not  _ infatuated  _ with her  _ prince _ . She is a woman who is fully capable of having feelings that aren’t shallow and meaningless, unlike you, apparently. 

“Morgana may think you followed your father’s orders a little too blindly, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about you. She may not show it, but she would do everything in her power to make sure you wouldn’t die if she had the chance. And you’re apparently too thick to see it, but most of your men would die for you, title or not. Leon would lay his life down for you if given the chance. And if you don’t understand that, then maybe you don’t deserve their devotion.”

Arthur sat in shock, and by the time he got his wits about him enough to form a response, Merlin had already thrown the polishing rag down and rushed out the door. 

“Merlin—” Arthur called out, knowing it was useless. Merlin was gone, and Arthur had no idea when he’d be back. If Merlin was truly upset, he might not even by back by tomorrow morning. Which wasn’t good. Tomorrow Arthur was to give his father a trial, and even if he could manage to get ready by himself, he needed Merlin’s constant, silent support if he were to get through this. If Merlin was not back by the time Arthur was ready to go to bed, then he would go apologize for his behavior. 

For now, though, he noted that evening was quickly approaching and he had no servant to bring him dinner, or a bath. While he was contemplating this issue, he noticed the plate of meat, cheese, and fruits that must have been sitting on the table since before he had neutered his chambers. He ate that and was preparing himself to send for a bath when there was a knock at his door. They announced that they had a bath for him, so he beckoned them in and waited for them to be done before curtly dismissing them before they could ask if he needed any further assistance. 

Without Merlin to help him, Arthur was a bit wrongfooted. Nevertheless, Arthur managed to get the worst of the dirt off of him and rustle up some pajamas to dress in. It was finally time for when Merlin would normally turn down the bed and pry Arthur away from whatever work he was finishing up this late at right. Since Merlin seemed to have still not cooled down from his outburst earlier, Arthur would have to search him out. 

Hoping he wouldn’t encounter many people on his way, Arthur made his way to Merlin and Gaius’ chambers. Luckily, he didn’t see anyone besides the night guards, who were used to their prince’s antics. He paused outside the door, not sure if he should really be sacrificing his dignity and lowering himself to seeking out his servant for an apology. But then, he realized he might have to sit through all of tomorrow without Merlin, and he decided that it was worth, just this once, saying sorry. 

Arthur knocked before entering without bothering to wait for an answer. He was the prince, might even be king soon, he didn’t have to wait for permission to enter in his own castle. 

As he threw the door open, he saw that Gaius was already asleep in the main room. Feeling slightly bad for barging in so late, Arthur crept up the creaky staircase to Merlin’s room as quietly as he could, wincing every time the stairs creaked especially loud. Eventually, he did make it to the top of the stairs without waking Gaius, however, and he took a steadying breath before rapping quietly on Merlin’s door. 

He heard rustling from within the room and soon the door opened to reveal Merlin, with red-rimmed eyes and clothes more rumpled more than usual. He didn’t look that surprised or happy to see Arthur but opened the door to let him in anyway. 

Once the door was closed securely behind Arthur, Merlin settled on his bed and looked expectantly at him. 

“Merlin…,” Arthur started, not used to having to apologize to servants, “I believe I owe you an apology for my behavior today. It was not fair of me to push all of my uncertainties and stress onto you. Your reaction was understandable.”

Merlin looked shocked to be receiving an actual apology. Maybe the word sorry had not left the prince’s lips, but it was sincere enough without it. Merlin opened his mouth to respond, but Arthur beat him to it. 

“However, I would...appreciate it if you were to resume your duties for tomorrow. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I was lucky to have someone who cares about me so much. Tomorrow will be hard, and I don’t want to face it without having a…friend by my side.”

Merlin looked speechless. He just about sounded that way, too. If it weren’t for the words that were somehow managing to escape his lips without his permission. 

“I’d be honored to be by your side, tomorrow, Arthur. And, I shouldn’t have slapped you. But you did need a bit of a wake-up call. And—” 

“Merlin,” Arthur said fondly, “It’s fine. Just, don’t slap me again, or I’ll have you in the stocks. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, sire,” Merlin said as he grinned. 

“Good,” Arthur smiled, “Then I supposed I’ll see you tomorrow. Bright and early, Merlin, tomorrow may just be the most important day of our lives.”

Merlin nodded somberly as Arthur exited the room. Tomorrow might just herald a new age in Camelot. 

Perhaps even the Golden Age Kilgharrah went on about. 


	2. Chapter 2

As usual, Arthur woke to Merlin telling him to wake up as he threw the curtains open. Arthur had not slept well the night before, kept up by thoughts of his father’s trial and what his father had done. 

He hadn’t really had the time to think about the implications of what his father had done. His father had let his grief at his own mistake consume him and innocent people had died for it. Arthur knew in the back of his mind that many of the people that were killed for sorcery weren’t sorcerers, but how many actual sorcerers had been innocent of wrongdoing past having the gift of magic?

Now was not the time to delve into those thoughts, however. He needed to focus on how he would convince his father’s court to support him in this. Arthur knew that he needed his father’s lords on his side to make this all legal. The people would almost certainly support him. He was beloved amongst his people, he knew, but he could do very little if the lords took control of his knights. 

With Gaius’ testimony, it should almost be enough to convince people that Uther had murdered his own wife, however indirectly. Perhaps he could even get Geoffrey to find some old law that supported his overthrowing of his father. It would be hard with the little preparation he had allowed himself so as to not leave the kingdom without a ruler for too long, but he believed it could be done. 

With these thoughts in his head, he made his way over to the table, where a somber Merlin had set his breakfast. Arthur was glad that for once Merlin was quiet, leaving him to his thoughts. 

“You have to be in the council chambers in an hour, sire,” Merlin said. Arthur wasn’t sure when Merlin had found that out, but he nodded regardless. 

Arthur’s breakfast was large but quick, and soon Merlin was dressing him in his most regal outfit, complete with his coronet. Arthur studied himself in the mirror while Merlin sorted out the various clasps and snaps on his clothing. He wasn’t sure he quite looked like a king, he was too young and carefree, but he certainly felt like every inch the king he would become. 

“Whatever happens today, Merlin,” Arthur spoke suddenly, “I want you to know that I will always appreciate what you did yesterday. I’m sure it took guts to suggest I overthrow the king.”

“You should try to remember that next time you want to throw me in the stocks,” Merlin joked in a weak attempt to lighten the mood. 

“Come, Merlin, it’s time to go,” Arthur said instead of replying. 

Soon enough Arthur was sat in the chair at the end of the room that his father would usually occupy, Merlin behind his right shoulder. The room around them filled with members of Uther’s court, knights, guards, and other various lords and ladies, and well as Gaius and Geoffrey. Among the last of them to arrive was Lady Morgana, who kept her gaze fixed on Arthur with an expression of shock seemingly frozen on her face. Gwen, as usual, accompanied her and stood behind Morgana as she sat in the chair to Arthur’s left. 

The last people to enter, of course, were Uther and the guards that had brought him there. Uther was only looking slightly worse after his trip to the dungeons, likely having been treated well by those who had no idea what was going on. 

Thinking about it, Arthur was surprised that his father had allowed himself to be thrown in a cell at all—he usually had no problem making it known that his was the highest authority in the land. Perhaps he realized he might just be outmatched in that fight. 

Once Uther was on his knees before him, Arthur spoke. 

“Uther Pendragon, you have been accused of the murder of the last Queen Ygraine, as well as the murder of hundreds of innocent people. What do you have to say to these charges?”

“I did not kill Ygraine!” Uther spat. “And those people were not innocent, they had magic, and that made them evil! Come, Arthur, you must see reason!”

“I will listen only to the hard facts and evidence. Gaius, please step forward.”

Gaius obediently made his way through the crowd to stand in front of Arthur.

“Yesterday the sorceress Morgause summoned me to do whatever she asked of me, in return for her sparing my life. In reward for keeping my word, she summoned the spirit of my mother, who told me of my birth. She said that magic was used in my conception, without her knowledge. My father knew that the cost of my birth would be another’s life, but he was so desperate for an heir that he did not care, and in the end, my mother was sacrificed to complete the balance of the old religion. 

“Uther then blamed the sorceress that performed the spell for my mother’s death, and I can only guess that this is what started the Great Purge, in which he sought out every person with a bit of magic and haad them killed. In my eyes, this makes him both a hypocrite and a murderer. However, I cannot be impartial in this and thus must ask you, Gaius, to give an accurate account of the events I just spoke of.”

“Gaius! You promised me you wouldn’t—” 

“Guards, please fetch a gag for the prisoner,” Arthur calmly interrupted his father’s rant. 

In a moment Uther was quiet enough that Gaius could speak.

“Queen Ygraine could not conceive a child. It is true that Uther sought out a sorceress, Nimueh, to perform a spell that would give them a child. Nimueh informed him that the cost would be high. The Old Religion demands that for a life to be given, one must be taken. The king was informed of the cost, and that it is often a person close to you, but you cannot always choose whose life will be taken. He proceeded with the spell and was heartbroken and angry when it was his wife that passed away.”

Arthur nodded. “Do you believe that this was what caused my father to start the Great Purge?”

“I know so, sire.”

Arthur hummed. “Was this the only instance in which my father asked someone to use magic for his benefit?”

“No, sire. The sorceress who helped your mother conceive was a close friend of both Uther and Ygraine. Before your birth, magic was practiced freely in Camelot, and it is almost certain that this was not the first favor Uther asked of her.”

“Thank you, Gaius.”

Gaius bowed his head and went to stand back in the crowd.

“Geoffrey, I ask you to step forward.”

The elderly man tottered to where Gaius had stood a moment ago. 

“Geoffrey, did my father consult the court before banning the practice of magic?”

Geoffrey’s eyebrows drew together as he tried to remember. “My memory is not the greatest, sire, but I do not believe he did.”

“So, would you say that the Great Purge was lawful, given that he did not get the court’s approval before signing the ban into law?”

Gasps sounded around the room. 

“I do not believe so, sire. The king made it very clear that he was the absolute authority and he could make a law without the council's approval if he so pleased.”

“And how many of the council would have, if they were consulted, allowed my father to ban sorcery?”

“I cannot give exact numbers, sire, as there are no records of such things, but I would say not many, at least in the beginning. There were sorcerers and sorceresses at court, and though there was but one or two on the council, including a high priestess, there were many that were friends with those on the king’s council. It was only when King Uther made public that the Queen was killed by sorcery that he gained much support at all.”

“I believe this is proof enough of my father’s treachery, unless anyone has anything else to add?”

No one stepped forward, and everyone eyed Uther, still bound and gagged on his knees in front of Arthur, struggling with all his might against his restraints. It did little good. 

“My father begged for magic to be used on my mother without her awareness, knowing that the price for my life would be another’s. When the magic took his wife as payment, he sought wrongful vengeance against all magic because of his grief, ignoring the laws we have in place so that monarchs cannot use their power in exactly the way my father used it.”

Arthur turned suddenly, beckoning Merlin closer so that he could whisper directions without the rest of the room hearing. 

“I want you to speak to Geoffrey in an antechamber. See if he knows of a law that will allow me to legally take the throne or a way this can be done without allowing anyone to challenge my right to the throne.”

Merlin nodded and rushed off to do as he was told. A few eyes followed Merlin and Geoffrey’s exit, but most remained on their king and prince. 

“I now ask the members of my father’s council to step forward.”

A few stepped forward immediately, a few more reluctantly, but eventually the full council was stood in front of him. Arthur, stalling for time until Merlin was finished with Geoffrey, pretended to assess each man until they were all squirming a bit, unsure what Arthur was looking for in them. Luckily, Merlin and Geoffrey reentered the room just as it was starting to get really weird. 

Arthur looked expectantly at Merlin, who grinned and gave a subtle nod before returning to his place behind Arthur. 

“Geoffrey. What do you have for me?” 

“My lord,” Geoffrey bowed, “there is a law that has been around for centuries but has been used only a small handful of times. It states that, given there is reasonable evidence that the king or queen committed a grievous crime, usually treason, the king’s council can try them for the crime, and if they are found guilty, the right to rule goes to the heir to the throne, just as if the King died.”

“Do you believe that law applies in this case?”

“I do.”

“Thank you. Now, gentlemen of the council, do you believe there is sufficient evidence that my father has committed crimes tantamount to treason?”

The councilmen whispered amongst themselves for a moment, before one brave soul stepped forward. 

“We do believe there is evidence that his majesty committed grievous crimes, my lord.”

“Then I ask you to retire to the antechamber, so that you may properly discuss and vote upon my father’s guilt.”

The council filed into the antechamber, leaving Arthur with nothing to do. 

“It now rests on the council to decide the fate of the kingdom. We will await their decision. For the moment, there is nothing else to be done.”

Arthur tried to make himself look bored and uninterested as they waited by motioning Merlin Closer and having a murmured discussion with him, which consisted of their usual light banter and none of the heavy thoughts weighing on them both. Following their king, the crowd murmured amongst themselves for the duration, until at last, the door to the anteroom opened. 

Arthur sat up immediately, cutting off Merlin in the middle of a sentence. 

“Have you made your decision?” Arthur asked as the room quieted down. 

“We have, sire.” One of the councilmen said neutrally. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot I left y'all on a cliffhanger and then dipped for a week after posting the first update in like three days. Sorry :)

“What is your verdict?”

“We have decided that King Uther committed treason when he asked for magic to be used on Queen Ygraine without her knowledge, resulting in her death, as well as when he condemned all those with magic to death. We have agreed that it was unlawful. Those of us who were on Uther’s council twenty years ago agree that, had Uther bothered to go through the council, the ban on magic would never have happened.”

Uther, who had been brooding not so quietly off to the side where he had been moved before the testimonies began, began to yell in earnest at this, trying to physically lash out. Of course, he didn’t get very far with any of it, and he was largely ignored by everyone in the room. 

“Thank you. Geoffrey, you said that if a king was found guilty of treason by his council, as my father has been, he loses his right to the throne and his heir takes his place?”

“That is what the law states, my lord.”

“Then I believe my father is no longer the king, and we must make plans for me to assume the throne.”

Arthur began to stand as if to end the meeting, but one of the councilmen, a short one whose name Arthur couldn’t remember, spoke up. 

“Sire, the punishment for treason is death, is it not? Will your father be sentenced to death?”

Arthur sat back down. He looked lost, not sure what he wanted to say. As Merlin had thought, he didn’t want to be the one to kill his father or sentence him to death. But he wasn’t sure that he could get away with usurping his father’s throne and not having him sentenced to death. He decided just to stall them for a bit. 

“My father will remain in the cells until I decide what his punishment is. I do not wish to act rashly in this.”

Luckily, the councilor accepted this and nodded, turning towards the exit with the rest of the room, who had noticed that the trial was over. Gaius looked over at Arthur, considering, but eventually, he joined the last of those leaving. Morgana, too, looked as if she may say something to him, but took in his exhausted face and left him alone, Gwen with her. 

It wasn’t long until Merlin was the only one left in the room with him. When the last person had left and the door shut, Arthur let his composed facade drop and slumped onto the chair. 

“I know you think I’m an idiot,” Merlin spoke suddenly, “and my opinion doesn’t count for much, Arthur, but I believe you’ll be a great king. Far better than your father, one of the greatest this land will ever know.” 

“What makes you so confident of that?” Arthur asked, suddenly feeling vulnerable. 

“You have a good heart, Arthur.”

“My father always told me that a good king does not rule with his heart.”

“He did anyway, didn’t he, though? He ruled with his grief and it was his downfall. You’re not your father, Arthur, you wouldn’t let that happen to you. Ruling with your heart is different than letting your heart rule you.”

Arthur snorted. “You always seem to become so wise at the oddest moments, Merlin.”

“I’m always wise, you just choose the oddest moments to notice it,” Merlin laughed, knocking Arthur’s shoulder. 

“I’ll believe that when I see it. Come on, then.”

They fell into a companionable silence as Arthur got up to return to his chambers. It was about midday, and he’d be needing lunch soon. He told Merlin so, and Merlin disappeared down another corridor, presumably to the kitchens. 

Arthur walked slowly to his chambers, contemplating the events of the last day and what would happen to his father. He even briefly thought about the ban on magic, but he was still so conflicted about that that he decided he would have to think about it later. 

Arthur had walked so slowly that he was only in his chambers but a few minutes before Merlin walked in, laden down with a full tray of the soon to be king’s lunch. Wisely, Merlin set the tray down in silence, and, after arranging it in front of Arthur, set about quietly tidying. Not that there was much of that to be done, but it kept him in Arthur’s presence if he was needed and out of his way if he wasn’t. 

Of course, eventually, Merlin ran out of things to pretend to tidy, and he began to pace around the room under the pretense of looking for something to do. Arthur ignored him for a while until Merlin began humming as well. 

“Merlin,” Arthur finally called, “will you stop your infernal pacing for just a few moments? I need to think.”

“Sorry, sire,” Merlin uttered as he stopped, looked around, rolled up on the balls of his feet, swung his arms up in front of him, and clapped his hands together. When it seemed that this had not helped him think of anything to do, he took a few steps forward, realized what he was doing, and stopped. 

Instead, he went and sat down at the table, where Arthur looked at him incredulously from over the stew he was almost finished eating. 

“Most people, Merlin, would not dare to sit at a table with the future king of Camelot with as much carelessness as you do.”

Merlin shrugged. “Most people don’t know the future king of Camelot is a prat.”

Arthur spluttered. “I am about to become king, Merlin! You would do well to learn your place.”

“Why? You’re the only one who can really punish me anymore, and you’ve been putting me in the stocks less and less since we first met.”

“Someday, Merlin, I will not be around to save you from your own stupidity, and it will be the death of you.”

Merlin only grinned. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

Arthur shook his head and resumed eating his stew. “You’re a mystery, Merlin.”

And really, Merlin’s blinding grin should be illegal. And his adorable, insolent laughter. That would have to be the first law Arthur made as king. He didn’t think his council would have too many problems ridding the court of Merlin’s insolence. 

And he hadn’t begun to think about who would be on his council. He’d have to keep most of his father’s men, but that wouldn’t be too terrible. Most of them were yes-men who went along with Uther because they liked their money and their heads more than they valued the lives of their people. A few of them, however, Arthur could afford to lose without too much backlash. He’d have to see who he’d replace them with. Morgana, certainly, would be useful on the council. Someone he could count on to fight for him. And against him, he supposed, but only when he was being an idiot. 

Perhaps he’d ask Guinevere. She knew the struggles of the common people, the servants. Her advice would be invaluable. And Arthur had not yet even thought about the fact that his father would no longer be able to stop him from marrying anyone he wanted. He could marry anyone, so long as he could convince the council. 

But he was not about to propose to Guinevere, so he pushed those thoughts down. He thought about yet another subject he hadn’t yet wanted to broach. 

Magic. 

In the last two days, his perception of magic had been turned on its head. He’d have to legalize it, or he would be no better than his father. He’d be a hypocrite usurper with more blood on his hands than his father, given that he had no grief to blame if he continued. So, yes, the ban on sorcery would have to be repealed, quickly, and the process of undoing twenty years of hate and propaganda begun. 

And he’d have to have someone to advise him about such matters. While his father may have been wrong about the fact that all magic was evil, Arthur had enough experience to know that some magic was certainly evil. Of course, he didn’t know many people who knew enough about magic to be able to advise him on it. Except maybe Gaius. The man knew far more about magical curses and creatures than anyone living in Uther’s kingdom should. 

Maybe he’d ask Merlin how much Gaius knew. Merlin certainly spent enough of his time doing things for Gaius for him to have learned a thing or two. 

“Merlin,” Arthur started, “how much does Gaius know about magic?”

Merlin, whose gaze had snapped over to him from where it was resting on the table when he started talking, stammered something incoherent, but sounded something like, “magic? He doesn’t know anything about magic, why would you ask?”.

Arthur huffed. “If I’m to legalize magic,  _ Mer _ lin, and I intend to, I’ll need someone to handle all the magical issues. Preferably someone who knows a lot about magic. Gaius always seems to know about whatever magical curse has befallen us, so he must know about magic.”

Merlin looked like he was about to faint. He was whiter than usual, and his mouth hung open. “You’re legalizing magic?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. Of course Merlin would be a scaredy-cat about this. “Yes,  _ Mer _ lin, keep up. I can’t be seen to dethrone my father for wrongfully killing magic-users and then continue killing them myself.”

Merlin’s face dropped, and Arthur thought he looked on the verge of crestfallen. First scared, and then sad. “Is that why you’re legalizing magic? To keep up appearances? You still think it’s evil?”

Arthur couldn’t fathom why Merin would look so sad about that. He set his spoon down. “I don’t know what to think right now. I’ve just found out that everything my father told me growing up may not be true. Obviously, he was wrong in a lot of ways, but I haven’t quite figured out if magic is mostly good and there are just a few bad apples, or if it’s the other way around.”

Merlin now looked like he was going to cry. Really, Arthur had no idea what went on in that head of his sometimes. 

“Magic is good, Arthur.”

Not having expected that, Arthur didn’t reply immediately. Merlin seemed as if he simultaneously regretted saying that and wanted to say more. 

“And how would you know that, Merlin? Your friend, Will, may have been a sorcerer, but maybe he had yet to...I don’t know, be corrupted?” Arthur replied, waving his hand in the air toward the end, trying to convey that he didn’t even know if magic corrupted you. 

“Will wasn’t a sorcerer.” 

What? Arthur looked at Merlin, who had his hands over his mouth as if he kept saying things he didn’t mean to. 

“Will confessed to being a sorcerer on his deathbed. And if he wasn’t the sorcerer, then who was?”

Merlin looked ridiculous with his face paralyzed in fear. Arthur frowned because there was no reason for Merlin to look so frightened. The only reason Merlin would have for being so scared would be if  _ he  _ were the sorcerer, and that was just ridiculous. 

Right?


	4. Chapter 4

“Um,” Merlin said, eloquently. 

Arthur was about ready to just give up because if he'd learned anything about Merlin, it was that Merlin never gave up a secret if he truly wanted to keep it. That didn't usually apply to any of Arthur's secrets, and he was pretty sure Merlin gossiped about them with Gwen like a bloody girl, but Merlin could, on occasion, be a closed book locked up tight in a chest within a vault about something.

And somewhere, deep down, Arthur must have known what it was that Merlin wasn't telling him. And that would mean a lot of things that Arthur wasn't quite ready to deal with. But then Merlin wrung his hands together and took a deep, shuddering breath, looking significantly less terrified now, and all Arthur’s plans were shot to hell. 

“Will wasn’t the sorcerer. He was covering for...me. I have magic, Arthur.”

“You’re a sorcerer, Merlin? Really?”

“I’ve had magic since I was born,” Merlin said softly, sad that Arthur had immediately reacted with denial instead of anger or acceptance. 

“Well, now I know you’re lying because that’s not possible.”

Merlin’s brow creased, confused. “What do you mean?”

“No one is born with magic, Merlin.”

“But I was.”

“But it’s not possible. No one can do magic from birth.”

Merlin was getting frustrated now. “I don’t know about anyone else. Maybe I’m special. It wouldn’t surprise me. But the truth is that I was born with magic, and I am a sorcerer.”

Arthur was sure Merlin was having on him. Clumsy Merlin who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life was a sorcerer?

“If you’re a sorcerer, do some magic.” 

There. Merlin would have to fess up to his lie now. Merlin wasn’t competent enough to have something convincingly magical prepared. 

“Are you sure?” Merlin asked, biting his lip. “You wouldn’t be...uncomfortable with it or anything?”

“Well we won’t find out until you actually do it, Merlin, so get on with it.”

“ _Leoht_ ,” Merlin whispered, and as his eyes flashed gold, a ball of light appeared in Merlin’s hand. 

Arthur sat up, thinking he may have been wrong and Merlin may actually have magic. Still, he couldn’t be sure until he’d seen more. 

“Do something else.”

Merlin glanced anxiously at the fireplace, raising his hand toward it. “ _Upastige draca_.”

A dragon made of fire flew from the flames. Arthur’s jaw dropped because this was undeniable proof that Merlin was a sorcerer. And not a weak one, either, Arthur guessed, because he doubted that the spell Merlin was using was entirely trivial, given how much the dragon was moving and how alive it looked, more than just an illusion.   
“Is that all the proof you need?” Merlin asked in a strained voice that Arthur usually attributed to when he was acting like a girl. 

“I’d like you to leave, Merlin,” Arthur said without thinking. Merlin just sniffed and nodded, rushing from the room, pausing only to whisper a broken, “I’m sorry, Arthur”. 

_Fuck_ , Arthur thought. He wanted some time to think about everything. Merlin had magic, and Arthur didn’t believe that Merlin was evil, but that didn’t mean that everything would automatically be okay. 

The biggest issue that Arthur was struggling with was that Merlin hadn’t told him. Sure, Camelot hadn’t been exactly friendly to people like Merlin, but he’d thought he and Merlin had become close enough that Merlin would be able to tell him, prince or not. 

It hurt that Merlin had not trusted him. It hurt that Merlin probably believed that Arthur would have killed him for having magic, which he apparently didn’t choose. Arthur still wasn’t sure how that was possible, but he’d have to think about it later. He was still trying to make sense of the hurt that made his heart and head ache. 

Had Merlin truly believed that Arthur would have given him up to his father? In the early days, when Arthur was getting used to his insolent manservant who couldn’t do his job properly if his life depended on it, Arthur wouldn’t have thought twice about giving him up to his father. But after that? Arthur might’ve said they were friends. Good friends, even. 

Sure, Arthur would have been angry. Hell, he was angry now. The hurt that Merlin didn’t trust him was warring with his ingrained distrust for magic and sorcerers. He couldn’t say that Merlin was evil. That simply wasn’t true. 

But he also wondered what Merlin had been using his magic for all this time. He couldn’t have been using it for his chores, or he’d have actually gotten them done on time all the time. Arthur knew that since Merlin had joined them, bandits had gotten significantly less competent and Arthur had not suffered nearly as many injuries as he normally did. 

Was Arthur getting more competent and better with a sword? Or had that been Merlin, messing with the bandits, helping Arthur? It seemed that there had been more attempts by sorcerers on his life or his father’s, but perhaps that could be attributed to a number of different factors. He didn’t think that Merlin could have anything to do with it. 

But it had been a long while since Arthur started trusting Merin, and believed that trust was reciprocated beyond the trust between a servant and his master, a prince and his subjects. It appeared that he was wrong and Merlin had little to no trust in him, after all. He’d been sure Merlin had trusted Arthur with his life. It was true that Merlin’s life _had_ been in Arthur’s hands more than once, and Arthur had not yet failed him. 

So yet again, it came down to the fact that Merlin had not trusted him. What had he done wrong to not be deserving of his trust? Had he not proved himself capable of change? Had he not shown that he cared for Merlin, a mere servant? Had he not shown that, occasionally, he was willing to defy his father? Had he not shown that he was, in fact, capable of forming his own opinions? 

Arthur simply did not understand. 

Merlin, meanwhile, was trying not to cry. He’d always known that Arthur wouldn’t take learning about his magic well. He’d tried to prepare himself for the fact that it would never have been easy, even if Arthur did accept his magic. The fact was that he hadn’t trusted Arthur. Even if Merlin had perfectly good reasons for not trusting him with this little tidbit, all Arthur would see was that Merlin did not trust him. 

Arthur, Merlin knew, flourished when he knew he had the trust of those under him. It would hurt a lot that Merlin didn’t trust him. But there was nothing to be done about it all now, except to apologize, and that would have to wait until Arthur was a little calmer. Merin felt truly horrible about lying, but he hadn’t seen any other way about it. 

Eventually Merlin found his way back to Gaius’ chambers, and he slipped into his room without answering any of Gaius’ questions, which were mostly about how Arthur was doing. After a few minutes, Merlin heard Gaius’ footsteps on the creaky staircase outside his room, followed by a light knocking on his door. 

Merlin, not having the heart to tell Gaius to go away, didn’t answer. It appeared Gaius took this as a sign to go in, and sat heavily on the bed where Merlin was curled up, tears spilling down his face, crying quietly. 

“What happened, my boy?” Gaius asked softly. 

“I—,” Merlin hiccuped, “I told Arthur. About my magic.”

“You told him?” Gaius repeated, alarmed. 

“He was talking about magic and repealing the ban and I just—I thought maybe that was the moment I’d been waiting for. For once, nothing was stopping me from telling him, and, and I just thought that it was then or never, and I told him, and he—,” Merlin broke off, a hiccuping sob stopping him. 

“He didn’t take it well, then?”

“I don’t think so.” Merlin shook his head. “He asked me to get out, and he just looked so betrayed, Gaius. I’ve lied to him so much, and broke his trust and it’s that more than the magic that I don’t think he’ll forgive me for. It’s not like he can kill me for the magic, now, right? Not if he’s legalizing it.”

“I’m sure Arthur will forgive you eventually, Merlin. He always does.”

“I don’t think he’ll forgive me as easily as he did when I didn’t do my chores, Gaius. It’s far worse.”

“Arthur cares for you, Merlin. Give it time, he’ll come around.”

“I hope so.”

Gaius patted Merlin’s leg and left, making his way across the castle to Arthur’s chambers. If Arthur was planning on legalizing magic, he’d have to go about it carefully. Before the purge, there had been laws about what types of magic were legal, ensuring that your average peasant couldn’t get their hands on dark magic. Geoffrey could help, of course, but Gaius had more practical experience when it came to magic. 

When he reached the doors to Arthur’s chambers, he knocked and waited for an answer, half expecting to be turned away. Instead, there was a muffled, “enter!” and he pushed the door open, seeing Arthur sitting in his favorite chair at the head of the table, the empty dished from his lunch sitting in front of him as he leaned back in the chair. 

Shaking himself a bit to get out of the trance he appeared to be in, Arthur looked to see who he had let in. 

“Gaius,” Arthur greeted with a strained smile, “what can I do for you?”

“I believe we need to talk, Arthur.” 

Arthur gestured to one of the chairs at the table. “What would you like to speak about?”

“Merlin informed me that you wish to legalize magic.”

“That’s right,” Arthur replied, tensing at the mention of Merlin. 

“Your father had a number of restrictions in place before the Great Purge, many of them made by the High Priestesses of the Old Religion. They kept common people from getting into dangerous things and hurting themselves or others. I’m sure Geoffrey would be glad to go through the records and find these. Some might have to be modified, but for the most part magic and its use has not changed.”

Arthur nodded. “I’m sure your and Geoffrey’s help would be invaluable in the process of bringing magic back to Camelot.”

Gaius sighed. “Arthur, I also wish to speak to you about Merlin.”

“I don’t wish to talk about it now, Gaius.”

“I just want to tell you something.”

Arthur scrunched his eyes closed and eventually waved his hand in a _get on with it_ gesture. 

“Do not be upset with Merlin. It was not entirely his choice not to tell you. I myself advised him against it many times, and he was raised to keep his magic a secret from the time he was but a babe. Though magic is legal in Essetir, it is no better to get caught using magic there than it is here. Telling someone he has magic is not just trusting them with his life, it is trusting them with his mother’s life, his friends’ lives, the lives of anyone who may be accused of harboring a sorcerer. 

“Even if Merlin trusted you with his life and the lives of all those people, what’s to say you wouldn’t push him away? Send him away, even, banish him? It seems that you’ve managed to do the first thing very well. Merlin cares about you very much, Arthur. He did not withhold this secret from you for any small reason, and it was not without great trust that he did, eventually tell you. However betrayed you may feel, he is just as hurt that you’ve sent him away. 

“I’m not saying you need to forgive him right away, but understand that his trust in you was only one factor in his choice not to tell you about his magic. Hear him out, listen to him. Show us all that you’ve learned to do that, at least.”

Gaius got up to pat Arthur’s shoulder and left without a word, Arthur too busy absorbing everything Gaius had told him to answer. 

Gaius, not wanting to have made the trip across the castle for such a short conversation, went to the library to seek out Geoffrey. 

Merlin supposed he had fallen asleep sometime after Gaius left because he woke up to a dark room. He must’ve been asleep for hours, seeing as it had been midday when he arrived at his room. He panicked for a moment, thinking that Arthur would be upset at him for having been gone the whole afternoon and it was likely past dinnertime. But Arthur wasn’t exactly happy with Merlin at the moment anyway, so Merlin was pretty sure it didn’t matter. Actually, he was pretty sure it was better if he stayed away until Arthur approached him. 

He went into the main room to find that Gaius was gone, but there was a pot of stew being kept warm by the fire. Merlin helped himself, drowsy from his nap and hungry from not having eaten since breakfast. He wasn’t quite sure of the time, but Gaius wasn’t there, so it probably wasn’t too late. Still, Merlin decided it was probably too late to go out for a walk in the woods to clear his head. 

After a moment of thought, he decided to visit the dragon. The Great Dragon wasn’t omniscient, so he probably didn’t know what had happened. Merlin could use the walk, anyway. 

His talk with the dragon was surprisingly unexciting, as far as their conversations usually went. Merlin wasn’t in need of help or advice, which made the dragon surprisingly agreeable. He was happy to hear that Arthur was about to take the throne, spouting some cryptic nonsense about Albion’s golden age. When Merlin told him about his worries about Arthur accepting his magic, the dragon only reassured him that all would be as it was meant to be. 

Whatever that meant. 

Still, the conversation left him feeling better, the promise that he would (eventually, when Arthur forgave him) speak to Arthur about releasing him still ringing in his ears. 

Of course, his good luck and mood couldn’t last, because as he was walking back to his room, he collided with Arthur in the corridor outside the library. 

“Ar—Sire,” Merlin exclaimed, bowing his head in a show of submission he rarely exhibited. I was mostly to avoid eye contact, though, if Merlin was honest. 

“Merlin,” Arthur replied, sounding unsure. “I’m to be coronated tomorrow. You’re to be in my chambers early to get me ready.”

Merlin’s head snapped up. “But—,” 

“Be there, Merlin,” Arthur said dangerously, and strode away. 

Merlin was confused. He stood there a moment, long enough that the door to the library opened again, revealing a very tired-looking Gaius. Gaius spotted Merlin and they walked to their chambers together in silence. Merlin didn’t ask what he and Arthur were doing in the library. He figured it had to have been something about coronating Arthur and probably the laws on magic, as well. 

He didn’t really care to know the details. Gaius fell asleep very quickly when they finally made it to their beds, but Merlin laid awake for a while. His walk had shaken him of his drowsiness but had not managed to make him tired enough to go right to sleep after his long nap. Eventually, though, he did manage to fall into a dreamless sleep. 

Merlin woke up quite suddenly when the first rays of sunlight started to creep in through the window. He wasn’t sure why he’d awoken that way, but he wasn’t sorry for it, since it meant he would have a hard time going back to sleep and he could get himself up quickly to attend Arthur. 

He stumbled into the main room, helping himself to a chunk of bread and cheese before making his way out the door to Arthur’s chambers. It was a lot earlier than Merlin was normally up, and the castle was still asleep. He passed a few servants whose duties required the early hour, but for the most part the castle was mostly quiet. 

Merlin knew the kitchen was unlikely to be finished with breakfast quite yet, so he figured he’d wake Arthur up and get him dressed before getting him food. He wasn’t entirely sure how he’d handle Arthur this morning, seeing as he was a beast on the best of mornings, but he’d make it up as he went, as usual. 

He threw open the doors to Arthur’s chambers, letting them slam loudly shut as he went to pull back the window drapes. 

“Rise and shine, Arthur!”

Arthur grumbled. Merlin reached out to shake his shoulder a bit. Arthur rolled away. 

“Up and at ‘em!” Merlin frowned as that didn’t even get a groan from Arthur. He looked around for a pitcher of water, but there were none. 

He had a horrible, terrible thought. He absolutely could not do that to Arthur. Under any circumstances. Even if Arthur knew about his magic, Merlin couldn’t go magicking streams of water to wake him up. He absolutely could not. 

Merlin giggled, trying to muffle it with his hands. It appeared he didn’t succeed, however, when Arthur’s eyes cracked open and glared at him. 

“Wha’s so funny, _Mer_ lin?”

“Um. Nothing, sire.”

“Come on, Merlin. Tell me.” Merlin could hear the unsaid “ _what other secrets are you keeping from me_?”. 

“I just. Uh. thought about maybe magicking some water to wake you up. Since you weren’t getting up.”

“Are you daft?” Arthur asked, sitting up now. “I’ll remind you that magic is not yet legal, and I am not yet officially king.”

“‘S not as if it’s gonna make a difference if I use magic today or tomorrow. You still couldn’t execute me for it.”

“No, but I could execute you for using magic on _me_.”

“It’s just water, Arthur. It’s harmless.”

“I doubt that,” Arthur muttered. “Where’s my breakfast?”

“The kitchens won’t have it ready for a while. It’s far earlier than I usually go to collect it.”

“Then help me dress.”

Merlin helped Arthur into the ceremonial outfit he’d be crowned in. He left off most of the heavy stuff, plus a lot of the jewelry, until a lot closer to the ceremony. Arthur looked regal and, well, kingly, in the clothes, and Merlin spared a thought for how fitting that was. 

“Merlin,” Arthur said, attempting to draw Merlin’s attention from the wardrobe. 

“Hm?” 

“I wish to speak to you. About what you told me yesterday.”

Merlin paid attention to _that_ , and he went to sit by Arthur at the table. “And?”

“Why did you not trust me enough to tell me before this?”

Merlin looked down. “It’s not just my life. Gwen could’ve been accused of aiding me. My mother could’ve been hunted down. I’ve been living with Gaius for a while now. Telling anyone places all of them in danger. Even if it were just my life, what if you’d sent me away? I needed to be here, protecting you, so I couldn’t take that risk. 

“Plus, while your father was king, I couldn’t make you choose between me and your father, whether to knowingly harbor a sorcerer under your father’s nose or give me up to him. And it’s not exactly as if you gave me much reassurance that you’d be accepting of my magic. You execute magic users and druids all the time. You denounce sorcery and all that use it, even if it’s a small child who made a flower grow. 

“You could never commit to a side when you did show a chance of acceptance towards magic. Was all magic evil, or were there some people who used it for good? I couldn’t risk it until I knew for sure that you would accept me when you were king. No matter how much I wanted to trust that you wouldn’t hurt me, I couldn’t know for sure. I’m sorry.”

Arthur took a breath. “I...believe I owe you an apology for my behavior yesterday. It was unfair of me to send you away without listening to your explanation. I spoke with Gaius today. Or rather, he spoke to me. I was focused on the fact that you did not trust me and I didn’t realize that you had not told me because you could not trust me with this one thing. You did not deserve my reaction. I apologize.”

“Arthur Pendragon, saying sorry? Hold on, let it sink in for a moment—,” Arthur cuffed Merlin ‘round the head. 

“Shut up, _Mer_ lin. You’ll only get the one. And I believe you owe me one for lying to me.”

“I gave you one! Two, even, since I apologized yesterday!”

Arthur just kept looking at Merlin. “Fine. You don’t deserve it, but I apologize for lying to you for so long.”

“There you go. Now, do you think the kitchen has breakfast ready yet?”

Merlin glanced outside. It was getting closer to the time Merlin usually fetched it. “Probably. I’ll be back.”

The kitchen did indeed have breakfast ready, and Merlin was back in a few minutes to give it to Arthur, who even gave Merlin a sausage when he saw Merlin looking longingly at Arthur’s overflowing plate. 

_(“You look like a kicked puppy, Merlin. It’s disturbing.”_

_Merlin grinned.)_

Soon, it was about time for Arthur to go to the throne room, so Merlin finished putting all the small bits and pieces to Arthur’s outfit on, and they made their way through the castle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last bit y'all. <3

All in all, Arthur’s coronation wasn’t particularly eventful. Merlin smiled proudly and saw Gwen and Morgana doing the same. Geoffrey was solemn as usual, but he too looked proud of Arthur. The shouts of “Long live the king!” could probably be heard in the forest outside the city. 

The most exciting part of the whole event, in fact, was when Arthur went out on one of the balconies where a crowd of his subjects were waiting and announced that he would be legalizing magic as his first act as king. Merlin smiled so wide as he stood behind Arthur and clapped. 

Arthur eventually decided that he would not execute his father, but instead banished him to an estate on the outskirts of the kingdom, placed under heavy guard without contact with anyone except for his guards and servants and the occasional visiting lord, vetted by Arthur himself and always under supervision. 

It was still awkward between Merlin and Arthur for a few days, but eventually, they settled back into a routine as master and servant.

It was this that made Merlin so surprised when, a few weeks into the rule of King Arthur Pendragon, the court acquired a Court Sorcerer by the name of Merlin. Arthur, of course, did not have the decency to tell Merlin about his new title ahead of time, so Merlin was caught unawares when Arthur announced it to the court. 

Still, the druids weren’t complaining when Arthur invited them to meet with his Court Sorcerer and they found Emrys waiting for them. Kilgarrah hadn’t complained either when the Court Sorcerer came down with the King to release him. 

A few years later, Camelot found itself with a new Queen of Camelot. Arthur and Guinevere finally had the chance to grow closer without Arthur’s father’s interference. Morgana had been sad to lose her maid, but she was going off to the Isle of the Blessed with Morgause for a while anyway, so she figured she wouldn’t miss much. 

It had been a shock for Arthur when Morgana finally broke down and told Arthur that she had magic a few weeks after Merlin was made court sorcerer. Arthur had had an outburst about how “everyone seems to have magic! Does anyone else have magic they wish to confess?” that Merlin had spent over an hour trying to calm. 

On the anniversary of the tenth year of Arthur’s reign, Arthur celebrated the years of peace with a grand celebration. Everyone got spectacularly drunk and Merlin exploded more than a few things by accident. Arthur and Merlin woke up in Merlin’s (very nice, large, and new) chambers to a disgruntled Guinevere, all of them nursing a major headache. 

Fifteen years into Arthur’s rule, Merlin reflected on everything that had happened since he’d left his mother in Ealdor. It was mostly good things, he decided. Everything had turned out more than fine. Fantastic, actually. 

Everything was as it should be. 


End file.
